Athlone man set for cycling challenge after his Dad's myeloma diagnosis

A son of an Athlone man who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma earlier this year is preparing to cycle the length of Ireland in order to help raise money and create more awareness of the condition.

John O'Regan, from Cloghanboy Avenue on the Ballymahon Road, was diagnosed with the rare form of blood cancer in April.

His son Kevin (pictured above), who returned home to Athlone at the beginning of the pandemic after six years based in Florida, is now preparing to undertake a 1,000km fundraising cycle from Malin Head to Mizen Head.

His challenge, in aid of Multiple Myeloma Ireland, will get underway this Sunday, August 16.

While 2020 has not gone according to plan for anyone, Kevin explained that this was particularly so for his family.

"I was working in Florida when this all started, and as businesses began to close due to the Coronavirus, I decided to come home to Ireland to be with my family, in Athlone, in the midst of these uncertain times," he said.

In recent years he had been doing seasonal work in the US, working from his 'home base' in Florida during the winter season and working elsewhere in the US during the summer months.

His journey back to Ireland at an early stage of the lockdown, which involved connections in a couple of different airports, was a "surreal" experience.

"All of the airports were empty, and everyone was wearing masks, so it was pretty surreal. It felt like something out of a movie," he said.

His Dad, John, worked at the An Post sorting office on the Dublin Road up until his retirement two years ago, and also enjoyed serving as a part-time tour guide in Clonmacnoise up until recently.

Kevin said his Dad's diagnosis came about quite quickly. "He was not feeling the best just before lockdown, but we didn't know what it was. He went for some tests, some blood work.

"When I came back, I did my two weeks of isolation, and then myself and my brother brought him up to Dublin, which was when we found out that, unfortunately, he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma."

John is currently undergoing treatment and Kevin said that, despite the pandemic, his father has been fortunate to receive "excellent care" from the "fantastic team" at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore.

"(The diagnosis) was a shock, but he is doing well. He's taking it day-by-day," said Kevin.

He said the main aim for the upcoming cycling challenge was to raise awareness of the condition, as multiple myeloma was something he had never heard of until this year.

On Sunday, he plans to set off from Malin Head "with nothing but my bike, a tent, a helmet, a dodgy knee and a childlike sense of wonder," and he will be on the road for two weeks, with the aim of arriving in Mizen Head on August 30.

"I haven't done anything like this before. While I am a keen cyclist, it probably will be harder than I think, with the weather and the hills and everything, but I have this now as my focus," he said.

His planned route will be predominantly along the west coast, but he will travel inland from Galway, to Athlone and Clonmacnoise, around August 23 or 24.

Along the way, he is hoping to meet up with some other people and families whose lives have been touched by multiple myeloma.

* Kevin intends to post updates about his journey on his Instagram account (@kevinoregan89) and people who wish to support the fundraiser can make a donation through his fundraising page on the Multiple Myeloma Ireland website at: www.multiplemyelomaireland.org/fundraising-events/kevin-oregan-malin-head-to-mizen-head-cycle